What is going on in Lakeway?
Guess Who has a BIG Birthday this Year….
Founded in 1963, the City of Lakeway turns 60 in 2023! The celebration started with the heritage bus tours earlier this month. The 4th of July parade theme will be “’63 and Free.” More fun events are in the works.
To brush up on Lakeway’s history, visit The Heritage Center (963 Lohmans Crossing). The Center is open to the public January through November on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9AM-3:30PM, excluding holidays.
Get a start online by going here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1879/Lakeway-Historical-Documents
OAK TRIMMING Season
NEVER PRUNE FEBRUARY THROUGH JUNE.
If you plan to trim oaks, JANUARY IS THE LAST MONTH TO DO IT (until summer). Oak pruning is a violation of Lakeway ordinance February through June, due to higher likelihood then of spreading Oak Wilt. The fine is up to $1,000 per day. Trimming Oaks is allowed July-January. But, when trimming, pruning seal must be applied within 10 minutes to all cuts on all Oak trees. More info here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1059/Oak-Pruning-Schedule
Brush Recycling Offered 1st Thursday of Every Month
City of Lakeway offers free yard waste drop off for Lakeway residents the first Thursday of every month, at the Public Works Department (3303 Serene Hills Drive) 7AM-3:30PM. Limit is one pickup truck load of yard waste or up to one 8’X5′ pile. Go here for details, including what is accepted: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=1584
StoryWalk
Now through Feb. 14, enjoy a Valentine’s Day story while strolling the trail behind City Hall (1102 Lohmans Crossing).
You’ll find pages from the children’s book “If You Were My Valentine” (written by Lynn Plourde and illustrated by Jennifer L. Meyer).
This FREE event emphasizes the importance of reading, spending time with friends, and connecting with nature.
Community Helper Story Time
On Monday, Jan. 30 at 10:30AM, Lakeway Police Officer Christie Carter will present a special story time at the Lake Travis Community Library (1938 Lohmans Crossing). Officer Carter will discuss being a police officer and keeping the community safe, as well as reading a story to families attending.
Sock Hop
On Monday, Feb. 6, 7-9PM, the Lakeway Arts Committee presents a FREE and FUN 1940-50s dance event at the Activity Center (105 Cross Creek). Nostalgic music will be provided by The Highlights, plus musicians from People’s Choice and vocalists Barbara Calderaro, David Cummings and Howard T. Levine. Wear your favorite Memory Lane apparel and bring snacks and beverages.
Masterpiece Concert
On Sunday, Feb. 12, 4-5PM, the Lakeway Arts Committee presents the next Masterpiece Concert at the Activity Center (105 Cross Creek).
FREE for residents, the concert will feature music performed by Andrew and Sari Pearce, along with other talented musicians on violin, viola and cello.
Garage Sale at Lakeway Activity Center
The next community garage sale is Saturday, March 25, from 8AM to noon. Admission is FREE, but in the LAC lobby you can drop off non-perishable or canned food items, to be donated to local food banks and charities. You can also donate new or gently used children’s books, for the Free Little Books bin at the entrance.
Want to sell stuff? LAC members-$30 per booth; Non-Members-$35 per booth. Call 512-261-1010 or go here for info and to reserve a booth (starting Feb. 20 for members, Feb. 27 for non-members): https://secure.rec1.com/TX/lakeway-tx/catalog/index?filter=c2VhcmNoPWdhcmFnZSZyZW50YWwlNUJmcm9tJTVEPSZyZW50YWwlNUJ0byU1RD0=
A Night with the Austin Symphony Orchestra
On Saturday, April 1, 2023, members of the Austin Symphony Orchestra and students at Lake Travis High School will present the 3rd annual performance at the Lake Travis Performing Arts Center. Go here for details and tickets: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/1960/A-Night-with-the-Austin-Symphony-Orchest
Lakeway is HIRING
Open positions include Court Clerk Supervisor, Juvenile Case Manager, Permit Technician, Code Compliance Inspector/Officer, Code Compliance Manager, Facility Attendant, and Police Officer. (As of Feb. 1, the city will start hiring LIFEGUARDS.) Go here for info and to apply: https://tx-lakeway.civicplushrms.com/CareerPortal/Jobs.aspx
Spring Break Camps at Lakeway Activity Center
Plan early to keep the little ones busy during spring break. Go here for camp info and to register: https://secure.rec1.com/TX/lakeway-tx/catalog/index?filter=c2VhcmNoPXNwcmluZyUyMGJyZWFrJnJlbnRhbCU1QmZyb20lNUQ9JnJlbnRhbCU1QnRvJTVEPQ==
Council Met on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
RESULTS: All 7 members attended in person.
ITEM 10: Kay Andrews received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
ITEM 11: Tamara Arguello was appointed Chief Court Clerk.
ITEM 12: Financial Report—At the end of the first quarter of FY 2023, revenue was $235K below projections, due to slow property tax payments. Expenditures were $430K below projections, due to salary savings from several unfilled positions.
ITEM 13: Citizens Participation. One person spoke, as to traffic concerns on Flint Rock Road.
ITEM 14: Special Use Permit for a Home Occupation/DAYCARE CENTER at 702 Vanguard. The permit was DENIED 4:3 (Kilgore, Kumar and Mastrangello voting in favor of the permit).
ITEM 15: Special Use Permit for a short-term rental at 811 Sunfish. Permit was APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.
ITEM 16: First Reading—LTISD Development Agreement. After a presentation by LTISD officials and considerable discussion on the dais, Council made it clear the proposal for an elementary school to be built on Bee Creek Road would not be approved at the next meeting unless traffic concerns raised tonight were addressed and resolved.
ITEM 19: Executive Session to obtain legal advice re: Charter Election and Texas Local Government Code chapter 143. Council debated in private, then returned to the dais, PASSING UNANIMOUSLY a motion to support state legislation in the new session to protect disclosure of personal information and unfounded complaints.
Adjourned at 9:11pm.
View the Agenda, Meeting Packet, and/or Presentation (scrolling down to City Council documents) here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
Go here to watch the Council meeting online https://lakewaytx.new.swagit.com/videos/205803
Upcoming City Meetings
ZAPCO (zoning and planning) meets on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 9AM. Council meets on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 6:30PM. Go here for Agendas: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/archive.aspx
Lakeway ELECTIONS—Coming Soon!
Local elections will be on May 6, with Early Voting starting April 24. (If you aren’t registered to vote, the deadline is April 6.) Campaigning will start soon….
Local elections include Lakeway’s Mayor Kilgore and 3 City Council seats—Kumar, Vance, and Trecker. All 4 incumbents are eligible to run for another term. The candidate filing period started Jan. 18 and ends Feb. 17. The city’s election page, with full info, is here: https://www.lakeway-tx.gov/427/Election-Information
To date, only Mayor Kilgore and Councilmember Vance have filed to run in the election.
Daring Mighty Things
I aim for the full spectrum in this blog, from the ridiculous to the sublime. So, here you go….
Competing in the Miss Universe pageant earlier this month, Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel wore the moon, as an homage to the space program that anchors her hometown of Houston. The elaborate costume included a scale-sized moon held up over her head by an intricate frame surrounded by gleaming silver stars; her wispy outfit was made of red, white and blue lights. She carried an American flag–well, of course she did! The costume weighed 33 pounds.
A gorgeous comet with a green tail is closing in on Earth. The image above was taken over Mount Etna and the Italian island of Sicily, on Jan. 23. On clear nights in dark areas, the comet–known as C/2022 E3 (ZTF)–is visible with the naked eye, but binoculars will help. Just after sunset, look to the north for a green glow. How to See the green comet 1/23/23 https://www.space.com/comet-c2022-e3-ztf-how-to-see-approach-earth
Remember Ingenuity—the mini helicopter flying on Mars with the rover Perseverance? After completing its 5 planned flights to experiment with flying in Mars’ ultra-thin atmosphere, the mighty Ingenuity has amazed NASA handlers by carrying on, and on, and on. Weighing just 4 pounds, Ingenuity recently completed its 40th flight, sending valuable data home to Earth. Mars helicopter Ingenuity aces 40th Red Planet flight 1/20/23 https://www.space.com/mars-helicopter-ingenuity-40th-flight
With liberty and justice for all … except women.
Jan. 22, 2023 SHOULD have been the 50th anniversary of women’s right to regulate their health care and make their own choices about their families. Instead, 5 people who were granted black robes for life (at least 3 of them under highly dubious circumstances) decided to substitute their personal preferences for 5 decades of established Constitutional rights. And, the country is divided—red vs. blue, oppression or freedom.
Now, the next step in protecting women’s rights is the shield law. The idea is that blue states where abortion is legal pass laws to protect their doctors prescribing and mailing abortion pills to women living in red states where abortion is illegal. Massachusetts already has a shield law, and New York will likely pass one soon. With easy access to abortion pills mailed within the US, women in red states can manage their own terminations at home, without the expense and difficulties of inter-state travel, and without waiting the several weeks it takes to receive pills mailed from Europe or India. The New Cutting Edge of Abortion-Rights Legislation 1/20/23 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/20/opinion/new-york-abortion-rights-legislation.html
Back to me….
Nothing much going on—just trying to stay warm and find things to do OTHER than my taxes….
I spotted a few more deer lately, all sweet does. Here are a few photos I took.
The Coronavirus
In China, experts estimate that roughly 80% of the population (1.2 billion people) caught Covid 19 since restrictions were suddenly lifted in early December. In addition, there have been over 1 million deaths. Also, the government is currently arresting people who dared to protest the harsh rules back in 2022. Nevertheless, pandemic control workers who abruptly lost jobs when the government abandoned its years-long zero Covid strategy are NOW protesting, demanding wages and new jobs.
In the US, in the last 2 weeks, the official stats show new cases and hospitalizations both fell by about 25%. Deaths dropped 8% to an average of 521 Americans per day. See the chart below for current stats. The national testing positivity rate fell to 11%.
Experts are now saying the US avoided the usual winter surge this year. Instead, due to largescale immunity from vaccines and previous infections, we had a Covid bump—cases and hospitalizations went up, but not as dramatically as in the past. States in the south and northwest had a steeper bump than states in the west. As always, older and immunocompromised people suffer the most. Currently, hospitalizations are five times higher among Americans 70 and older. Over 90% of American Covid deaths are people 65 and older.
Bump or surge, January of 2023 is a harsh opening month, Covid-wise. Despite vaccines and boosters, as well as universal awareness of the virus and how to minimize it, we just aren’t bothering with any of that. We traveled and gathered for the holidays and returned to life without pandemic. The experts call it “collective forgetting.” We decided to move on; too bad Covid had other ideas. This January, hospitalizations are at the 4th highest rate ever, with hospitals across the country overwhelmed. “Official” new case rates are high but incomplete, since most people now test at home. But, wastewater analysis shows a severe spike in infection, the largest since that technology became widely used. Boosters, masking in public spaces, and practicing social distancing all minimize infection. NOW is the time to take these steps to keep yourself and others safe.
The CDC has long had a program at several airports, with international arrivals being asked to swab their nostrils for Covid screening, including testing for new variants. Now, the CDC plans to go further, testing wastewater collected from in-flight lavatories. Because air travel wasn’t icky enough these days, I guess….
On Jan. 23, the FDA proposed an annual Covid vaccination for Americans, to be administered each fall. This approach, long used for flu, would allow the Covid vaccine to be updated yearly to better fight current variants.
The vaccination rate in the US remains at 68% overall. For those age 65 and up, the rate is 93%.
The FDA is considering an in-house recommendation that the bivalent booster be used as the starter Covid-19 vaccine, replacing the 2020 formula for people getting their very first shots. This is in response to studies showing the new booster formula is significantly more robust in preventing severe disease and death.
GET BOOSTED! A new CDC study shows that the Covid-19 bivalent booster reduces by 50% the risk of symptomatic infection from the most common subvariant now in the US. Also, getting the bivalent booster doubles protection from death, compared to just having the regular vaccination. And, getting the bivalent booster makes dying from Covid 19 times LESS likely, compared to having NO vaccination at all.
In Texas, in the last 2 weeks, infections decreased 28% and hospitalizations dropped 26%. But, deaths rose 28%, with an average of 24 Texans dying from Covid each day. See the chart below for current stats. The positivity test rate fell to 15%.
As of Jan. 20, Austin Public Health reported that the “Kraken” variant of omicron formally known as XBB.1.5 has been detected in the Austin area. This variant is responsible for over half the new cases nationwide. The Austin area is composed of 5 counties, which are split into 2 hospital districts. New Covid cases rose area-wide after the holidays. However, the latest numbers show new hospitalizations dropping in Travis, Williamson and Bastrop counties (7.4 new admissions per 100,000 people and 4.2% of hospital beds occupied by someone with COVID-19); hospitalizations are still rising in Hays and Caldwell counties (20.1 new admissions per 100,000 people and 6.1% of the hospital beds occupied by someone with COVID-19)
Recent Covid Articles I Recommend
Covid Vaccines Targeting Omicron Should Be Standard, Panel Says 1/26/23 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/health/covid-vaccines-boosters.html
New booster works against dominant Covid strain 1/25/23 https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/25/bivalent-covid-booster-xbb-1-5-00079451
F.D.A. Outlines a Plan for Annual Covid Boosters 1/23/23 https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/01/23/1150032238/fda-considers-major-shift-in-covid-vaccine-strategy
‘Kraken’ variant of COVID-19 arrives in Austin as cases rise. What you need to know. 1/22/23 https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/kraken-variant-of-covid-19-arrives-in-austin-as-cases-rise-what-you-need-to-know/ar-AA16dV6i
The global hunt for new Covid variants reaches airplane bathrooms 1/16/23 https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/16/covid-variant-airplane-bathrooms-00077979
‘People aren’t taking this seriously’: experts say US Covid surge is big risk 1/15/23 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/15/covid-19-coronavirus-us-surge-complacency